Okay, let me tell you about my little kitchen adventure the other day. I got this sudden craving for cinnamon rolls, like, really bad. But here’s the thing: I’m doing the gluten-free thing, and honestly, messing with yeast sometimes feels like too much work, especially when you want something now. So, I decided to try making some gluten-free cinnamon rolls without yeast. Yeah, I wasn’t sure how it’d turn out either.
Getting Started – The Dough
First off, I grabbed my go-to gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. You know the one, the kind that kinda feels a bit sandy? I dumped a couple of cups into a big bowl. Then I tossed in some sugar, baking powder (that’s the magic instead of yeast, right?), a pinch of salt, and a little xanthan gum because gluten-free stuff needs help sticking together, or it just crumbles.
I gave that a quick whisk. Then came the wet stuff. I melted some butter – not too hot, just melted – and poured that in. Added an egg, some milk (I used almond milk, whatever I had). I started mixing it up with a wooden spoon. Honestly, gluten-free dough is weird. It’s not stretchy like regular dough. It was kinda sticky and shaggy. I eventually just used my hands to bring it together into a sort of ball. It felt delicate, like it could fall apart easy.
Rolling and Filling – The Tricky Part
Okay, rolling this thing out. I sprinkled a good amount of my gluten-free flour on the counter. Put the dough blob down and sprinkled more flour on top. I used my rolling pin real gentle. Had to keep adding flour so it wouldn’t stick. It cracked a bit around the edges, but I just kinda patched it up with my fingers. Didn’t need a perfect rectangle, just something flat enough. I aimed for maybe a quarter-inch thick?
Then the best part: the filling. I smeared softened butter all over the dough. Didn’t measure, just made sure it was covered. Then I sprinkled brown sugar and cinnamon everywhere. Loads of it. I like a good amount of goo inside.
Rolling it up was tense. I started from one long edge and rolled it tight, but gently, you know? It cracked a little again, but mostly held together. Success! Then I took a sharp knife – had to clean it between cuts – and sliced the log into rolls. Maybe an inch thick each? They looked kinda small, but hey, no yeast.
Baking and Icing
I greased a round cake pan and carefully placed the rolls inside, cut side up. They looked a bit sad compared to big puffy yeast rolls, but I kept the faith. I popped them into a preheated oven, maybe 375°F (around 190°C). I didn’t time it strictly, just kept an eye on them. Probably took about 20-25 minutes? I waited until they looked golden brown on top and maybe a bit bubbly from the filling.
While they were baking, I whipped up a quick icing. Just powdered sugar, a splash of milk, and a tiny bit of vanilla extract. Whisked it until it was smooth and drizzly.
The Moment of Truth
Pulled the rolls out of the oven. They smelled amazing, like proper cinnamon rolls! Let them cool down just a bit in the pan, couldn’t wait too long. Then I drizzled that icing all over them while they were still warm.
So, how were they? Honestly, pretty darn good! Were they exactly like fluffy, yeasted cinnamon rolls? No. The texture was denser, more like a scone or a biscuit. But they were soft, full of that cinnamon-sugar flavour, and that icing just made it perfect. They totally hit the spot for that craving. Plus, it was way faster than waiting for dough to rise. No yeast, gluten-free, and still got my cinnamon roll fix. I call that a win. Definitely doing this again when I need a quick treat.
